<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>The Debt by alexcat</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28942839">The Debt</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat/pseuds/alexcat'>alexcat</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>2020 Cap - Iron Man Bingo  (2) [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Bingo, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non-Explicit Sex, love the one you're with, past Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:15:08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>540</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28942839</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat/pseuds/alexcat</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve is hurting after Natasha is gone. Tony sees comforting him as the least he can do to repay his debt.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>2020 Cap - Iron Man Bingo  (2) [10]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1879633</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Captain America/Iron Man Bingo, Of Elves and Men</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Debt</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For STONY Bingo 2020. Round 2 - Prompt: Hurt/Comfort</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tony had no idea how much Steve loved Natasha until she was gone. They’d always been as thick as thieves, almost as close as she’d been with Barton. He always figured them for fuck buddies.  Rogers had to be screwing someone, didn’t he? </p>
<p>“Did she have any family?” he asked Steve as he looked out across the lake.</p>
<p>“Yeah, us.”</p>
<p>As soon as Steve said it, Tony knew he was right and he also knew how profound her loss was to Steve. He put his hand on Steve’s shoulder and squeezed. Poor Thor showed his ass and after they all got back inside, Tony went to Steve’s quarters. </p>
<p>Steve sat at his desk, looking at a photo of her. </p>
<p>“I’m so sorry for your loss, Steve. For our loss. I – can I – do you need –?” he stammered as Steve looked up at him.  </p>
<p>“She said we were her family, her found family and that she’d do anything to save us all.” </p>
<p>Tony knew there were no words to say. Not for him to say, anyway. He moved around the desk and put a hand on each of Steve’s shoulders from behind. He didn’t move them, just touched Steve. </p>
<p>Steve reached up and touched one of his hands after a while, just laying his hand over Tony’s. </p>
<p>Tony had never wanted so badly to take someone’s pain away and he knew there was nothing he could do, but let Steve feel whatever he needed to feel. </p>
<p>“I’ve got you, buddy,” Tony murmured as he moved close enough that he was touching Steve with his body. </p>
<p>Steve pushed back to get out of his chair and Tony backed up as Steve turned around. Steve threw his arms around Tony and buried his face against Tony’s shoulder. It took a second for it to register that Steve was sobbing in his arms. Tony held him, smoothing his back with one hand and murmuring soft nonsensical words into his ear. </p>
<p>He couldn’t say when Steve stopped crying and found his mouth, but it happened. They kissed without stopping for several long minutes. Tony wanted him, but that had actually been a constant for years. He would let Steve take what he needed. He owed him that and more. </p>
<p>Without saying anything, Steve led him to the bedroom. They undressed silently and even after they were naked in one another’s arms, Steve still seemed to mostly want Tony to hold him and to kiss him. </p>
<p>When Steve offered himself to Tony, Tony obliged, taking him gently, still murmuring soothing words to him and trying to help ease his pain. The sex was over fairly quickly and was sweeter than Tony could have imagined. </p>
<p>As they lay quietly in the dark, Steve spoke. “She was my first and she never stopped teasing me about it. She read me like a book from the day we met. I could never lie to her, never wanted to.”</p>
<p>Tony let him talk, which he did until he began to cry again. Tony held him while he cried, soothing him as best he could. Steve finally fell asleep near dawn. Tony still held him, watching him sleep. </p>
<p>He owed them both so much. It was the least he could do.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>My <a href="https://www.tumblr.com/blog/alexcat45"><b>Tumblr</b></a>.</p></blockquote></div></div>
</body>
</html>